1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to ball supports specially adapted for practicing golf. More particularly, the present invention relates to golf ball supports incorporated within a base that protect the ground surface from damage and the golfer from injury due to jarring. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to lightweight ball supports that provide a golfer with a golf ball support which allows the golfer to practice on rough surfaces and which incorporates a golf swing aid.
2. Background
In a common golf practice situation, the golfer wants to be able to stand in one place and practice hitting a golf ball in a certain direction. Depending on the type of golf club being used, the golf ball is either placed on the ground or on a conventional golf tee. When the ball sits on the ground, it is not uncommon that the ground around the ball is damaged by the golf club. Even if the golfer is using a tee, damage to the ground can result when the golfer misses and hits "short" of the ball. Because of the potential for turf damage, golf practice is banned on many fields, such as school yards and parks. As a result of such banning and the general unavailability of good turf areas, the golfer is often forced to practice in an area not having a good turf surface. At other times, the golfer may desire to practice at a location which is convenient to him or her, but which does not have a good playing surface, including locations with such surfaces as rocky or barren terrain, including asphalt. If the golfer is practicing on a non-turf area, a missed swing can result in damage to the club head and a substantial jarring shock to the golfer.
The use of a specially designed base from which a golf ball is hit is well known in the art. Generally, the golf ball support base is utilized during golf practice to serve a variety of purposes, such as protecting the turf below the support and providing a means for monitoring the golfer's swing. The prior golf practice bases are beset with a number of problems, including lack of wear resistance, inability to function on a surface that is not relatively smooth and devices which subject the golfer to a jarring shock when he or she makes a poor swing. In an attempt to address these problems and to provide a practice guide, a number of devices have been developed which are difficult to transport, expensive to manufacture and difficult to use, resulting in such devices being generally disfavored by golfers.